Electrical switch.



B. I). HORTON.

ELEGTRKCAL SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT5.1912

2 SHEETB8HBIIT L Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

, INVENTOR L fizydm 49102471 )v' ArToR/vn WITNESSES .6A9

B. D. HORTON.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH. AFPLIGATIOK rum) BEPT.5,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mumroe UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

BBYsoN D. HoR'roN, or DETROIT, moment, ASSIGNOR 'ro DETROIT FUSE & mam;-

rsc'rcame COMPANY, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN. A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN.

ELECTRICAL swrrcza:

Speciflcatlon'o! Letters Patent. Patented Deb. 17, 1912.

Application tiled September 5, 1812. Serial Roi 718,625. r

of which the. following, taken in connection with the accompanying sheets of drawings, is a full, clear, and COIICISB, description.

My present invention comprehends certaln improvements in electrical switches of that type known as protected or armor-clad switches, in which the switch contacts and operating mechanism are mountedadd inclosed in ametal case provided -fwith a hinged cover.

One of the objects of my intention is to construct a switch of this type in'ivhich all of ,the-movingparts of the switch mecha- -nism are movably mounted in the cover of .the receptacle or metal case, so that when the switchis in its .oif position-which position the mechanism mustassume before the cover can be opencd-th cover'may be raised and opened, carrying with it this por tion of the mechanism, leaving the interior of the receptacle free of obstruction and readily accessible to enable the adjustment,

repair, or removal of the stationary portion of the switch, which. is preferably rigidly' mounted in the base or bottom of the case.

A further object of myim'ention is to mount the operating handle of the switch in the cover and use it for the dual purpose of both operating and switch mechanism 'and as an operating handle for the opening ofthe cover of the receptacle.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a combined fuse-clip and knife Switchblade contact.

Having thus stated generally the princi pal objects of my invcntionfl willproceed to describe one preferable embodiment thereof which I have illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings, itbeing understood that this illustrated and dcseribed switch is by way of example only, as the same may, in matters of structural details, be changed or altered without departing from the scope of my invention.

Figure l is a plan view of the movable portion of the switch mechanism mounted within the cover of the receptacle, showing the relation of the cover and said mechanism to the body of the case, which is shown partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a view, taken on line C.-C of Fig. -1, with the receptacle closed and the switch Tmechanism in the on, position; Fig. 3 is a'similar view, taken on line A-A of Fig.1, of the receptacle in the closed position and with the switch mechanism in its otf position. Fig, 4 is a view, taken on line BB of Fig. 1, showing the parallel guide-rods which are fast to and carried by the cover and serve to maintain the movable parts inalinement and operative relation; F i 5 is an,enlargcd detail of the combined se-clip and switchbla'de. I

Certain general, characteristics of the illustrated switch have heretofore been de scribed and patented to nie by United States Letters Patent and otheisare shown in a previous application for United States'Letters Patent filed by me, and I- particularly refer to Letters Patent No.'1,t)22,628, granted to me on 'April 9,1912,- a 'nd application Serial No. 712,382, liled by 'ne on'fJuly -31, 1912. This general type of"sw;itch,-to which mypresent invention relates, is a combined double-pole switch in which it'is im ossible,

to close the cover with-the switch-b ades in the on position, it-being necessa withdraw the blades to the .;0fi' position andopen the cover of the stationary contacts of the switch mechanism.

On'the under-side of the cover is rigidly fixed a band-spring 6, provided with suit able slots at its extremities into which are sprung two loose metal-plate expanders 7.

The inner endsof these plates engage V- v shaped grooves in a plunger-head 8., This plunger-head is formed with laternl'extensions 9, which are provided withguide-open ings for the guide rods 10, the latter being fixed to the' cover and serve'es guides for the plunger-head which recip'rocates thereon. At the lower extremity of-these guide rods a cross-plate 11 is attached for limiting the downward movement ofthe plunger-head and the mechanism which it 1 ics. Fixedly attached to the crosshead and carried thereby, are laterally-extending parallel blocks of insulating material 11, .upon the extremity of each one of which are mounted llO my combined fuse-clip and switch-blade 12. The plunger-head 8 is provided with a depending rod 14,'de signed. to engage with an abutment 15, in the event that an attempt should be made. toclose the cover .of the receptacle %ith the movable portion of the switch mec anis nrinits lowered or on position. I However, when the cover is being position.

closed with the movable portion of the mech nism in'its raised or oil position,

the rod 14 does not engage the abutment hut- Mounted in suitable hearings in the sides of the cover is journaled a rock-shaft 17, one oend of which protrudes through the cover'and 'has mounted thereon an operating lever 'or crank 18. -Mounted on this rock-shaft-centrallywithin the cover of the receptacle :is a rock-arm -19, of bifurcated construction:- i This rock-arm straddles one sideot. the band-spring .6 and'one of the metal-plate expanders 7; The-end of, ther rock arm is provided with a pair of 'inturned'tongues or. fingers 20, which fit under an' extending T 21, which is part of the casting forming the plunger-head,and through and byflthis' engagement the mechanism is moved or operate Referring in detail to Fig. 5, the combined fuse-clip and switch-blade comprises-a blade of knife-like formation 22, a pair of spring plate members 23, extendingat right angles thereto, and suit-able adjusting means 24. The operation ofthe device is thought to. be obvious. the lever 18, fast to the crank-shaft, is raised, thereby rocking thebifurcated rock,- arm 19, which forcesthe plungen'head up wardly, thus carrying the metal expanders 7 with it. These expanders expand the ends of the band-sprin -6'upwardly, and when they have passed t e dead center the spring action of the spring-band accelerate'sthe upward movement ofthe mechanism and causes a rapid break ofthe switch contacts. en the mechanism has been so. operated the pin 16 has been disengaged from the edge of the abutment 15 formed by the depression 17 and permits (it the opening of the cover. Whenthe mechanism has thus been thrown into itsoti position, a fur ther pressure on the'fhandle 18 tends tolift I claim as new herein and desire to secure 'coven ofth'ecase, a. roekarm In'order to raise the cover: 2, p u

of a case havinga h nged'covergja' s im ch and open the cover of the receptacle- 'the handle prforms' th'e dual function as heretofore explained. By this arrangement I am enabled to. move the switch mechanism and-the cover of the receptacle sequentially,

and when both have been moved as thus explained, the interior of the receptacle is entirely open and made accessible and free'70 from'any obstruct-ion by the operating and movable portion of the switch mechanism. It is obvious that when it is desired to close the receptacle it is first necessary to see that the 'movable'fportion of-.- the switch 1 '75V .mechanism is in its raised or ofi position.

Otherwise the rod 14, in the closing operation, would abut the-abutment 15 to prevent the cover from being closed. The movable portion of the switch mechanism must bein its reversed or oif position before the closure can be efiected i Having thus described myinventiom what by Letters Patent is; i 5.

1. In an electrical switch, the combination of a case having a hinged cover, switch contacts fixed within-the receptacle,"movablecontacts reciprocally mountedlinlthe cover of the receptacle, and an v operating fhalnille journaled in the "cover of. the receptaclegapd adapted to be exteriorly-"operated "to move.

the movable switch contacts to make 1 or break the connection between them'..=-' 3;":-

2. In an electricalsw: h ,-'the 'c ombina ti on tch con 3 was Wit f:

of a case havingaahingedcoyens .tacts mounted on'the cove in the receptacle, movabl by and reciprocally i moun -ibuf. a 1 the cover, and "means exterior ofsthe cover connected tozthe foclfarm -andfadapted operate the movableicontacts tomake -or break the-connection betweenthemand the fixed contacts 'and to o'pen the ,c'oi i 'Jof the receptacle. Y F ff- 3.- In an electrical sWitch,- the comb my hand in the-presenceof witnesses. p H BRYsoN-D; o12 ro 1-r.

Witnesses;v 

